[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 235 (Friday, December 7, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69225-69226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-23719]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AK-040-07-1610-DQ-087L]


Notice of Availability of the Bay Proposed Resource Management 
Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM) has prepared a proposed Resource Management Plan/
Final Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS) for the Bay planning 
area, located in southwest Alaska.

DATES: BLM Planning Regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that any person 
who participated in the planning process, and has an interest that is 
or may be adversely affected, may protest the BLM's approval or 
amendment of an RMP. That person must file a protest within 30 days of 
the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of 
Availability in the Federal Register. Instructions for filing protests 
are described in the Dear Reader letter of the Bay Proposed RMP/Final 
EIS and in the ``Additional Protest Information'' section of this 
notice. Please consult BLM's Planning Regulations at 43 CFR 1610.5-2 
for further instructions on protests.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chuck Denton, BLM Anchorage Field 
Office, 6881 Abbott Loop Road, Anchorage, AK 99507, (907) 267-1246 or 
(800) 478-1263.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Bay planning area includes 1,927,083 
acres of BLM-administered public lands and resources in the Bristol Bay 
and Goodnews Bay areas of southwest Alaska. The Bay Proposed RMP/Final 
EIS focuses on the principles of multiple use and sustained yield as 
prescribed by Section 202 of FLPMA. The Proposed RMP/Final EIS 
considers and analyzes four alternatives, including a No Action and a 
Preferred Alternative. The alternatives provide for an array of 
variable levels of commodity production and resource protection.
    The alternatives were developed based on public scoping and 
participation, as required by the BLM's Land Use Planning Handbook (H-
1601-1). The public involvement and collaboration process included nine 
public scoping meetings, six public meetings on the Draft RMP/EIS, and 
meetings with other interested parties. The BLM consulted with Alaska 
Native tribes; federal, state, and local government agencies; elected 
community officials; and the BLM's Alaska Resource Advisory Council. 
Involvement with the State of Alaska throughout the planning process 
was achieved through a joint BLM/State position, which provided a 
liaison between the State and the BLM.
    Primary issues addressed through this planning process include: (1) 
Natural resources protection, primarily water and fisheries resources, 
due to the proposed lifting of land withdrawals and possible locatable 
mining exploration and development on BLM- and State of Alaska-managed 
lands; (2) social and economic conditions, including subsistence 
resources; and (3) ACEC (Area of Critical Environmental Concern) 
determination.
    In addition to these issues, the Bay Proposed RMP/Final EIS 
addresses management of various program areas such as vegetation, fish 
and wildlife habitat, fire management, cultural resources, visual 
resources, forest resources, and realty. The Proposed RMP/Final EIS 
also resulted in development of required operating procedures (ROPs), 
which are requirements, procedures, management practices, or design 
features the BLM

[[Page 69226]]

adopts as operational requirements for permitted activities. The ROPs 
were developed to ensure that Alaska Statewide Land Health Standards 
are met.
    As required by 43 CFR 1610.7-2, areas with potential for 
designation as ACECs were considered during the Bay planning process. 
The preferred alternative recommends the designation of one ACEC, known 
as the Carter Spit ACEC. Final acreage for the proposed 36,220-acre 
Carter Spit ACEC will depend on the result of land conveyance to the 
State of Alaska and Native corporations. This ACEC is proposed to 
provide additional protections for Steller's eiders (Polysticta 
stelleri), a federally-listed migratory bird species, and coastal salt-
marsh habitat in the Goodnews Bay area. Use limitations within the 
boundary of the ACEC include:
     Limited OHV (off-highway vehicle) designation.
     Avoidance Area for rights-of-ways.
     Open to fluid mineral leasing subject to special 
stipulations.
     Open to locatable mineral entry subject to required 
operating procedures.
     Closed to salable mineral activities.
    All comments received on the plan were analyzed and evaluated. 
Substantive comments and the BLM's responses to those comments can be 
found in the appendices of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS. Comments on the 
Draft RMP/EIS received from the public and BLM review comments were 
incorporated into the Proposed RMP/Final EIS. Public comments resulted 
in changes to the preferred alternative through the addition of 
clarifying text and additional analysis of impacts, and contributed to 
the adjustment of the boundary of the proposed Carter Spit ACEC. A 
summary of these changes follows the Executive Summary of the Proposed 
RMP/Final EIS.
    Copies of the Bay Proposed RMP/Final EIS have been sent to affected 
federal, state, and local government agencies and to interested 
parties. The document is available for public inspection at the BLM 
Anchorage Field Office, 6881 Abbott Loop Road, Anchorage, AK, during 
normal business hours from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except holidays. Interested persons may also view the document on the 
Internet at http://www.blm.gov/ak, or at one of the following locations 
in Alaska: BLM Alaska State Office (Anchorage), Alaska Resources 
Library and Information Services (University of Alaska Anchorage), Z.J. 
Loussac Library (Anchorage), Dillingham Public Library, Naknek Public 
Library, Homer Public Library, City of Goodnews Bay, City of New 
Stuyahok, City of Quinhagak, and Lake and Peninsula Borough Planning 
Department (King Salmon).
    Additional Protest Information: E-mailed and faxed protests will 
not be accepted as valid protests unless the protesting party also 
provides a copy of the original letter postmarked by the close of the 
protest period. Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the e-
mailed or faxed protest as an advance copy and it will receive full 
consideration. Please direct faxed protests to the attention of the BLM 
protest coordinator at (202) 452-5112, and e-mails to [email protected]. All protests, including the follow up letter (if 
faxing or e-mailing), must be in writing and mailed to one of the 
following addresses:
    Regular Mail: Director (210), Attn: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box 
66538, Washington, DC 20035.
    Overnight Mail: Director (210), Attn: Brenda Williams, 1620 L 
Street NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036.
    Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your protest, you should be 
aware that your entire protest--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us to withhold your personal identifying information from public 
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

    Dated: June 7, 2007.
Gust C. Panos,
Associate State Director.

    Editorial Note: This document was received at the Office of the 
Federal Register on Monday, December 3, 2007.
 [FR Doc. E7-23719 Filed 12-6-07; 8:45 am]
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